The writer asks, “Was #MeToo a movement or a moment?”
From The Atlantic: Diddy—whose legal name is Sean Combs—has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Many Americans have taken to the comment sections to offer their belief in his innocence. Despite the video evidence of domestic violence, the photos of Combs’s guns with serial numbers removed, and the multiple witnesses testifying that Combs threatened to kill them, his supporters insist that Diddy’s biggest sin is nothing more than being a “hypermasculine celebrity with “libertine” sexual tastes.”
It’s been almost eight years since the Harvey Weinstein story broke and the #MeToo movement forced a reassessment of abuse and power. In the future, I remember thinking says the author, °we will not just speak out against bad actors; we will refuse to participate in the systems that protected them. Going forward, everyone would understand that, in a world of power imbalances, the difference between what a woman chooses and what happens to her can be very big indeed.
A chief witness is Cassie Ventura who has testified regarding her experiences with Combs. The Atlantic notes that when they met, Ventura was 19, an eager and ambitious singer. He was 17 years older, and arguably the most powerful man in the music industry. His label, Bad Boy, signed her to a highly unusual, long-term 10-album deal. He was her boss and, soon, her boyfriend.
Bill Maher discussed Ventura on his show saying things have changed for women since #MeToo therefore, the new rule should be “if you’re abused, leave immediately.” He says, “We take every allegation seriously, but don’t tell me anymore about your contemporaneous account that you said to two friends 10 years ago,” Maher said. “Tell the police right away. Don’t wait a decade. Don’t journal about it. Don’t turn it into a one-woman show. And most importantly, don’t keep f–king him.” Maher added, “If we’re going to have an honest conversation about abuse, we also have to have an honest conversation about what people are willing to do for stardom.” Daily Beast
If you want a Number One on the charts so bad you’re willing to take a number one in the face, then some of that is on you…..” Maher said
According to The Daily Beast, “Maher claimed, “Things have changed enough that moving forward, the rule should be, if you’re being abused, you’ve got to leave right away.” Maher attempted to qualify his controversial take by insisting that “it’s not victim-shaming to expect women to have the agency to leave toxic relationships,” and that by extension, “not to expect that is infantilizing.”
Gonzalez, writing for the Atlantic, has a different view.
She writes, “something else happened over the subsequent years [since #MeToo]!. American women have seen our rights eroded and our access to lifesaving health care curbed. An accused sexual abuser is president of the United States, and his administration is hard at work on schemes to persuade more women to stay home and have kids. Many men have fought hard to undermine the progress of the #MeToo movement. Like Combs running after Ventura in that video, they have tried to drag women back into the past, where they could do as they liked.
And lately, they have been having a lot of success.
